The Recipe for Dark Chocolate and Caramel
by GreenLavender
Summary: The Iron Heart's brother is not someone you would expect to attend Kirisaki Daiichi. Yet, that is exactly what he does, and uses the Kiyoshi cunning and manipulation against opponents. He's not a player, he knows the Generation of Miracles, and prefers papers over a sweaty basketball. How does this all play out in the end? Friendships are hard to remend, but families never break.
1. Chapter 1

New story! I had this idea and my hands wouldn't stop moving on the keyboard.

This honestly won't be too long, maybe 10 chapters or so, maybe even less. Anyhow, this is my stress relieving story, so I hope you enjoy.

WARNING: MALE OC.

The words or phrases with [*] mean that they will be explained at the end.

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **One.**

He had come from Shouei Junior High School and had worked as the manager for the school's basketball team.* It, like Teiko Junior High's, was an extremely powerful team, with Kiyoshi Teppei as their captain. However, in a game that ended with a difference so far removed from their other games, 148-51 to Teiko, the players of his second year, and Kiyoshi's third, were simply too distraught to play anymore. And while he was also devastated, he could not help but feel as though perhaps this wasn't the team for him. He didn't care much for winning or losing, but the Shouei students believed _so freaking much_ that they would most definitely lose.

He did not appreciate that.

The former captain decided to go to Seirin High School, close to his grandparent's home, and with a fresh new start.* There, he made friends with the once blonde Hyuuga Junpei, and the sharp eyed Izuki Shun. They, and a few others, made the Seirin basketball team, and actually got very far for what was their first year in both the club and games. They got to the finals of the Interhigh preliminaries, where they came out on top, but lost all three games in the final league, against the Three Kings of Tokyo. But they were _so freaking optimistic_ that it simply aggravated him. He was glad that they had hope and honesty ingrained into their souls, but that didn't take away from the fact that it was tiring after some time, especially when he was living with the living, love with candy and rainbows and unicorn machine.

So he took matters into his own hands. He continued to live in his parent's house, although it would be more appropriate to call it his own, as his _dear_ mother and father were nonexistent in his life. He applied for Kirisaki Daiichi, and got accepted, not unusual with his parent's social standing.* He would not force himself to attend Seirin, whether his brother wanted it or not, but he also didn't want a repeat of Shouei, nor a poor education. Being a school with high promotion percentage, Kirisaki Daiichi's staff was almost always checked on, and the students were guaranteed excellent academic experiences.

And now, in his first year, he was the manager of the team that many, if not all, high school teams detested. Some would say he wasn't needed for the team to do well, but he would attest to such claims with a mountainous stack of papers that coach Hanamiya Makoto was too busy (lazy) to sign. The coach and the captain of the team did rather unspeakable things during games, and while it was hard not to hold a grudge on someone who hurt his former teammate, the first year was also not one to cheer for the opposing team. No matter who his brother was, and no matter where his brother went, the simple fact was, he was not Kiyoshi Teppei.

He was Kiyoshi Temari.

* * *

Temari Call-Me-Temma walked through one of the halls of the Interhigh Final League stadium, just behind the captain of his team. He was looking through his files, reading the statistics of Shuutoku High School. He knew that the team had one of the Generation of Miracles, Midorima Shintarou, but that was common knowledge. He looked up towards Hanamiya, but before he was able to speak at all, Hanamiya turned around and opened his mouth, right in front of the changing room door.

"Today, the second string will be in charge of the game against Shuutoku."

The second string members didn't know whether to be excited or frightened, and stayed quiet instead.

"Just play the game, and see how it turns out. That is all. After all, the game with _them_ is more important than one that's already decided."

The caramel haired boy peered up at his senior knowing that he truly had no care for these so called Miracles. He silently asked a question with his deep hazel eyes, one that was returned with with a vocal reply. "Temari will go with you. Think of him as your coach for this game."

They lost, as he predicted, and it was perhaps with his guidance that they even got 63 points.* He could tell that the Shuutoku players were, perhaps, _disgusted_ with how little they cared and even made eye contact with Midorima, who was definitely not hiding said feelings. The players lined up at the court line, saying final words, and he was just grabbing his bags and about to leave when the shooter of the Miracles walked up behind him.

"I expected much more from you nanodayo."

Temari turned, before giving a small smile up towards the 6'5" player. "Hm, it wasn't really my choice, you know? Captain insisted, Shintarou-kun."

The viridian eyebrows twitched, but didn't say anything for a while. "Well, if that's all, I really have to leave. Being team manager and-"

"He's a talented player and an Uncrowned General, like your brother. But he's truly an unpleasant player, and yet, you still allow him to make these choices. If that is what you wish, you're only going to fail."

The first year of 5'5" did not lose his smile, and he held no malice in his visage, instead, he acknowledged Midorima's words, and said, "I'm the youngest member, remember? I can't help what the team wants. Besides, Shintarou-kun," his smile growing sadder, "Didn't you do the same thing in middle school?"*

And with that, he led the second string players out.

...

Still in the court, was the Shuutoku team and Seirin team, making deep eye contact with each other, not quite glaring, but accepting that neither team would back down from this challenge.

Seirin, after discussing the next game against the orange clad team, walked out as a group towards the main hall. It was then that Kiyoshi saw that glint of a sadist hidden in a dark corner. "Sorry everyone," the team stopped, "You guys can go on ahead."

Hyuuga knowingly nodded, replied with affirmation and continued walking.

When he was sure the team had rounded the corner, Kiyoshi, seemingly to thin air, greeted, "It's been a while, Hanamiya."

"Hey. I've been dying to see you."

Sitting casually on a bench, with legs crossed and arms on the back rest, was the Bad Boy Hanamiya Makoto. Kiyoshi walked over, until he was standing right in front of the captain's laid back form.

"I saw you during our game. You chose not to play against Shuutoku."

The dark haired player simply replied with a hum, "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"I'm not saying that it's wrong, I just don't think it's right," he responded.

"Huh, you're as honest as ever; it's disgusting," Hanamiya responded with a grin. "If I player all three games and showed my cards, that would make all three games serious pains in the ass. I don't care about the victory right in front of me. You'll be losing the next all on your own."

Kiyoshi's brows furrowed together and with a grunt, asked, "What do you mean-?"

"Whoops, I've said too much, Manager-chan won't be happy if he knew. You're playing Shuutoku first, right? Good luck, I'm rooting for you," He said, sliding off the bench and walking out of the corner. Just as Kiyoshi jogged out after him, Hanamiya said from behind his shoulder, "By the way, I hope your injuries heal soon. I know that Temari wishes the same thing. We're worried for you."

...

Out in the main hall of the stadium, the rest of Seirin stood, waiting for their center player to get back.

"Did Kiyoshi-senpai forget something back there?" Furihata asked the captain.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," he replied neutrally.

Kagami turned to his upperclassman. "Was it the guy in the corner?"

Hyuuga faced towards the redhead, "Ah, you noticed?"

"Only that he was pretty powerful."

With a despondent face down, the megane said, "Well, it's nothing to hide," starting his story, "In the world of middle school basketball, Teiko's team was the best. Needless to say, they were five powerhouses to be weary of. However, there were others just one year above them. Five talented players who could go against the Generation of Miracles, and if they had been born in a different era, perhaps they would have gotten the title.

Including Kiyoshi, there are five of them, called the Uncrowned Generals. And that guy was on of them, Hanamiya Makoto."

"But if he stayed behind, they must be friends, right?"

"No, it's the opposite. You could even say he's the direct opposite of Kiyoshi. If he's the most honest player, than Hanamiya is the most dishonest."

* * *

Temari peered over to the Seirin vs. Shuutoku game, where Teppei was getting a free throw for Midorima's foul. With only seconds to spare, he missed the shot, but both Midorima and Kagami jumped for the free throw, only for time to tick, with a tie of 104 on both sides.

 _We're nearly done as well,_ he thought, looking at the timer with only 13 second left.

And as those seconds passed, they won with a raging 38 point difference, 108 to 70. Temari looked on, bored, as number 10 of Senshinkan yelled at Furuhashi.

"That's not fair! How can you be happy winning after playing like that?!"

"Unfair? Sorry, but I don't understand; I don't remember breaking any rules," Furuhashi Koujirou, small forward of Kirisaki Daiichi replied.

"Of course we're happy about winning. Isn't anyone? Are you sure you don't have Bavarian cream for brains?" Hara Kazuya, power forward, lazily replied from his seat on the bench.

"The game next to ours was nerve wrecking. I can't believe Seirin made it a tie," Furuhashi continued, disregarding the earlier conversation. "It's not all too surprising," Temari said, not looking up from his folder inspection.

"Temari's right, if anything's surprising, it's that they're still all goody two shoes'. It made my skin crawl to hear them." The manager hummed, standing up with his school uniform blazer back on and files in hand. "We do have one more game though, Captain."

"Yes, and we'll crush them and advance to the Winter Cup."

* * *

Outside, Midorima stood in front of a vending machine, surprised when someone else chose canned red bean soup with his money. Pink hair flashed in his peripheral vision, and he turned fully to see Momoi smiling at him with the can, "This is what you wanted, right? It's been a while, Midorin!"

"Not a bad game, right?" A blond model walked over to the pair. The trio began walking down the outdoor halls of the stadium, discussing the games. "If you win your next game, you'll be in the Winter Cup. Make sure you don't mess up."

"That won't be a problem nanodayo, don't be stupid. Besides, it isn't me who you should be worried about, it's Kuroko. Seirin's next opponent is Kirisaki Daiichi, or in other words, Hanamiya Makoto."

"An Uncrowned General... Another difficult opponent."

"And this year," Momoi added with a stern face, "They have Mari-chan too." The three were silent as they processed her words.

Midorima was the first to speak up, "I'll be leaving here. Later."

Kise and Momoi followed over to the tallest player's bike and pull cart, where they questioned its existence and stared (fangirled) over the dog inside. Kuroko arrived just then, calling Nigou over, to which the only female promptly fainted over their adorableness.

"What a waste, I'm going home." Midorima said as Takao called him over. He walked past the phantom before acknowledging him with his back still turned. "Kuroko, let's play again in the Winter Cup."

"Yes."

* * *

TBC

I'm a bit sick, stressed, and delirious, so my apologies for any mistakes.

 **Shouei** : Kiyoshi's middle school. They said this in one of the Teiko flashbacks.

 **Grandparents** : It's well known that Kiyoshi lives with his grandparents and not his parents, but the reason has never been stated. So I made my own creative interpretation.

 **Kirisaki Daiichi** : In KuroFes, it was officially stated that the school is popular with students from wealthy families.

 **Point** **Results** : In the anime, they lost 123-51 to Shuutoku, but the second string didn't have their coach (Hanamiya) nor any of their core members in the game. Considering Temari's experience in basketball (to be looked further into in later chapters), I would predict that they would do even just a little better with real guidance.

 **Height** : Kiyoshi often complained about his height being a nuisance before he joined the basketball team in middle school, so I jokingly made Temari a lot shorter than his sibling.

 **Age** : All of the Kirisaki Daiichi members' ages are 17, and all of their birthdays is in winter, therefore making all of them second years.

 **Most of the dialogue during the interactions with Hanamiya were taken from the anime. I have added and paraphrased, obviously, but it's true to the show and I take no credit whatsoever in those parts (episode 4 and 7 of season 2).**

 **Leave a review, and make sure to follow and favorite!**


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sick, my friends are sick, everyone's sick!

Stay healthy everyone~

The words or phrases with [*] mean that they will be explained at the end.

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **Two.**

"Kiyoshi convinced me to play basketball again, with his relentless pestering throughout our first year. I never wanted to play again, after losing every single game with practice for hours in junior high, I refused to touch a basketball ever again. But he did it, and somehow, I was also nominated as captain of the team.

"And we got into the Interhigh finals preliminaries... It was then that Kiyoshi got hurt. We knew that Kirisaki Daiichi was strong, we acknowledged it from the start. But it was easy... We didn't think it was 'too easy', we just thought that we were strong. In the last quarter, with us leading the game in a ten point difference, _he_ came to play. We don't know why he came in so late, but Hanamiya Makoto seemed regular, nice, even. But then, with a snap of his fingers, Kiyoshi's leg was absolutely crushed.

"We ended up winning, and going to the nationals, but there, we lost. Hanamiya didn't care about a victory at that point, all he wanted was to get revenge. He riled us up until the end, but we left before I managed to get a hit on him. Kiyoshi told us it was only a sprain, but I knew he was lying. He needed surgery, as well as rehabilitation.

"And after that, without Kiyoshi, we were crushed by the three kings of Tokyo."*

* * *

Temari was rather small, and didn't really have the build for any sports. It was obvious he didn't play any, with his lanky body and even with his relaxed face throughout gambling situations. Despite lacking any physical charms, he was both analytical and creative, and any team would be lucky to call him their manager. Such was the case for Kirisaki Daiichi.

A little tick mark formed on his head when he heard screaming on one side of the court about porn and Horikito Mai, or whatever her name was, and more from the other side about how stupid models were and "Hidoiyo!"'s. Hara came over to the bench with a big bubble nearly covering his entire face. "What's wrong, Temari-chan?"

"Don't call me that, Hara-san."

"Call me Kazuya, Temari-chan. Is it because of those Miracles up there? Hm? They sure are noisy," He said, completely disregarding his last remark.

He grunted in annoyance, before looking over to Seirin's side. "They seem awfully bloodthirsty today," Temari said, eyes half lidded with chin resting on his forefingers as his legs crossed and back hunched over. "Why of course, it's _us_ after all."

From across the court, it was obvious that the Seirin's captain was doing horribly at shooting in practice, and Temari snorted lightly when he saw Hanamiya pick up the ball and held it out to Teppei. "Is this yours?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome... Hey, you seem to be feeling well."

"Yeah, all thanks to you."

As Hanamiya turned, the Hyuuga called out, "Hey, wait! You better not have forgotten what you did last year."

Without even an innocent look in place, he replied, "Calm down, you still think I did something? I don't know what you're talking about, he hurt himself, remember?" And with that, he snapped his fingers.

"Teme!"

"Hm, you called?"

Kagami and Kuroko both stood behind the shooting guard, ready to stop him from lashing out anymore, but another boy stood behind Hanamiya. "I thought you were talking to me."

"You!"

Kagami, as it was his first time seeing this boy, stared at him. He had rather long, light chestnut colored hair that reached his back bone, a dozen shades lighter than Kiyoshi's own, and hazel gold eyes. He was short, and didn't wear a team jacket, but a school uniform instead. He had a close eyed grin on his face that almost reminded the redhead of Imayoshi Shouichi from Touou ( _Bad memories, bad, bad memories_ ).

Hanamiya, however, was close to him and rubbed his head, almost affectionately, and messed up his hair. "Ah, Temari, not you, they were just cursing me out."

"How assertive, when you can't even prove anything."

"I agree, you see, I heard about your little first year duo from our manager here; you should be careful. I hope nothing happens."

"Good luck~"

They turned around, walking towards their own team, when once again, they were interrupted. "Kiyoshi-san."

"Hm?" He turned, eyes open to reveal them glittering with mischief.

"We won't lose," Kuroko declared blue eyes fierce with determination.

He chuckled, "I look forward to it, Tetsuya-kun."

...

"Who was that?"

"You're not very bright, are you Kagami-kun?"

"WHAT?!"

"He's Kirisaki Daiichi's manager, Kiyoshi Temari. In other words, Kiyoshi's brother."

"EH?! But wait, isn't Temari a girl's name?"

"Of course it is, Kagami-kun."

"And he's so short... while Kiyoshi-senpai is..."

"Bakagami! Don't you know not to tease a girl about her height?!"

"HE'S A GIRL?"

"NO! IT'S A JOKE!"

"Maa, maa, stop making fun of my brother."

* * *

Back on the other side of the court, the regulars of Kirisaki Daiichi were lazing about around their bench area. "They're so annoying over there, it's making me dizzy," the lilac haired power forward said.

Temari, as per his usual reply, hummed with his head thrown back and hands on the bench. "BOTH OF YOU ARE TOO RELAXED! THE GAME'S STARTING! WAKE UP!" Hiroshi Yamazaki, shooting guard, screamed.

With one eye open, Temari peered over at the redhead who was smacking the center, saying, "It's alright for us, though."

"He's not a starter, so it's fine," Kazuya commented.

"Leave him alone," Furuhashi added. "It's sad though, isn't it? The harder they try, the more brutal the outcome."

The manager didn't have any expression on his face, as the coach and captain smirked widely at the implication.

"The game between Seirin High School and Kirisaki Daiichi High School will now commence! Bow!"

"Thank you for the game!"

...

Seirin got the ball first, and made the first basket, and while Hiroshi was correct in saying that they were all individually powerful, that didn't matter to either Hanamiya or Temari.

"It doesn't matter whether they're geniuses or prodigies-"

"I don't care if they're geniuses or prodigies-"

"If they can't do anything, they're useless."

"Break them, and they're all just trash."

Hanamiya dribbled the ball for a while before passing to Furuhashi. Furuhashi moved quickly, with Hara screening Hyuuga with a rough _brush of a shoulder_.

Furuhashi jumped, throwing the ball towards the hoop, but quickly noticed that it was low, commenting blandly, "Oh? Maybe I relaxed too much."

With it rebounded, Kagami attempted to move but found his foot trapped under Hara's, who _unknowingly_ had stepped on it. Temari smiled, even chuckled behind his clipboard, not bothered by his teammate's play. Hara jumped then, grabbing the ball in the process and as he descended, his elbow just so happened to swing backwards.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hara waved, walking away.

"That bastard!"

"Calm down, Kagami. But are they really going to be this obvious with their attacks?"

Back at the bench, Koganei, Tsuchida, and Mitobe looked at Kirisaki Daiichi's game statistics, staring at the paper with horrified faces. "Is this for real? Every team that's played against Kirisaki Daiichi has had injuries."

"Their aces and star players are always taken out!"

"They were just another strong school until last year. Since Hanamiya-kun and their regulars became their leading force, they've had a abrupt increase. What he did to Teppei last year... Hanamiya couldn't have been more deceitful."

They stared over to the opponent's bench, where one other player, a few other first string players, and the manager sat. The manager, was covering his mouth, but it was obvious from the side that he was giggling.

"They're awful, that's what they all are."

They turned just in time to see Hara elbowing Kagami's side, grabbing the ball and making a basket. Kagami, in a stroke of anger, brought his arm back with a fist, Hara simply standing there, when Kuroko tripped his teammate.

"I'm mad, too, but hitting them isn't how we should be playing for the upperclassmen, we are going to win with basketball."

As the first quarter ended and the next began, Temari raised his brows at his brother's antics. _Going in all on your own? I wonder, are you selfless or selfish, Teppei?_

Hyuuga had missed, once again, and Kagami, in a haste to make a shot, had elbowed Hara quite roughly.

"Charging, White, No. 10!"

Hara simply fell to the floor, despite the pain it must have caused him, and blew his bubble gum.

"Pay more attention to your surroundings, Izuki was open," Kiyoshi advised, patting Kagami's head, "We should play our own way."

"You're one to talk; you're on the verge of becoming trash."

Lowering his clipboard, Temari also narrowed his eyes when he saw that Kiyoshi was not as fazed with those words as he should have been. He frowned, both at the actions of his teammates and opponents. He briefly made eye contact with Furuhashi's 'dead fish eyes', nodding at the other before glancing at the other team, knowing the Bad Boy's patience was wearing thin.

"I'm so sick of this. If you want to die so badly, _die_ ," Hanamiya muttered darkly, before snapping his fingers.

Hara's forearm fell downwards along with his body, crashing straight into Kiyoshi's forehead and eye area. Temari made a strangled noise and covered his eyes, unable to contain his anxiety when he realized that the end result of what had happened was not just a small bruise. But after moments of silence, he heard muscles cracking and a deep voice speaking.

"...That's why I decided..." Temari looked over at the court, peering behind his files.

"...If they're ever about to break, I'll be their splint..." Kiyoshi was on his hands and knees.

"...If they're ever in danger, I'll be their shield..." He stumbled to get to his feet.

"...I'll always put myself on the line to protect the members of Seirin!" Temari's eyes were wide as Teppei spread his arms out, on his feet, with blood pouring down from a dark patch under his head.

"That's what I came back for!"

* * *

"Seirin is ahead by 5 points," Temari commented aloud to himself as Hanamiya was walking back for the half time break.

"Wait, please."

He looked over, seeing Kuroko stopping Hanamiya to ask, "Why do you play in such underhanded ways? Do you really enjoy winning like that?"

Temari immediately turned to the other players, knowing that Hanamiya's little act of innocence was only going to further annoy him after the phantom's _very_ stupid question.

"They say that the misfortune of others tastes like honey, don't get the wrong idea, little do gooder," Hanamiya shook his head, "I don't care about winning; I want to see players who work hard and devote everything for basketball and end up crying and grinding their teeth when they lose." Hanamiya leaned close to Tetsuya, "Do I enjoy it? Yeah, of course I do. What I did to you seniors last year was a masterpiece."

"Bastard!"

"Makoto senpai."

"Hah! I hope you don't think that's the end of it. You're only just starting to grind your teeth."

...

In Seirin's locker room, Kagami was angrily kicking the bench, vexed by the unfair play. "Damn it! Those bastards!" Riko smacked him with her clipboard saying, "Don't just take your anger out on equipment!"

They saw the bruises on Kiyoshi's body, almost too many to count.

With frustration, Kagami yelled, "Damn it, I'm so angry!"

"You shouldn't take your anger out on things."

"Shut up! I know that. Besides, I can't believe you're so calm-" The redhead looked over at his teammate and paused when he saw Kuroko's irritation.

"I can't believe he's letting them play like that... How could he?"

* * *

The Kirisaki Daiichi team also walked back to their locker room, where Temari passed out water and homemade honey lemons out to the players. "Seriously?!"*

He turned his head as he was just about to pass the container to Furuhashi.

"Yeah, I figured out the trick behind Number Eleven's drive. Misdirection's a trick of misleading someone's line of sight, right? In that case, that means he's good at detecting the movement of the human eye. Meaning, this is the answer."

"What?! Eyes?"

"I agree with Ha- Kazuya-senpai, but... Tetsuya-kun isn't as easy to figure out as you might think, especially when he gets creative."

"If he can put down that obnoxious drive, then I'll let him do it. Our web... it's almost ready anyways."

Temari looked towards the door, and turned to the team. "I'm going to check what Makoto-senpai is doing."

Before anyone could reply, he was already out the door. Furuhashi looked down at the manager's notes, muttering, "Ah, he's also into the game."

...

"-wish you'd tell me how exactly I could lose."

Temari heard Hanamiya's deep voice in the bathroom, and was about to step in when he also heard another baritone voice, this one more lazier.

"It's not about whether or not I'm underestimating you. It's just that you've made Tetsu really angry. That's all."

 _Daiki-kun._

With narrowed eyes, he walked back down the hallway, not bothering to look back.

* * *

TBC

 **Anecdote** : I paraphrased Hyuuga's background story about how the team got together, and the after story.

 **Homemade** : The classic Kuroko no Basuke joke that women can't cook but the men can.

 **A few lines were taken from episode 9 and 10 of season 2 of Kuroko no Basuke. I take no credit for those.**

 **Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Super cold, even though it's only October...

The words or phrases with [*] mean that they will be explained at the end.

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **Three.**

"White, Member change!" Kuroko switched with Koganei when the score was 47-40 to Seirin, as Temari walked over to the referee table as well.

"Kentarou, you're in," Hanamiya commanded. The manager passed the sleepy center his hair gel, watching him brush his hair back from it's bedhead. "The web is nearly complete, all you have to do is play your part." The tall center patted the boy's head, before walking towards the court, declaring, "All right! I'm awake."

Temari made sharp eye contact with Aida, knowing that she was hoping the center would not be as ruthless as his teammates. He gave her a small grin before completely sitting back on the seat that Seto Kentarou was just on. She glared back at his relaxed form, wondering what the team was up to now.

Up with the audience was Touou Academy's basketball team, watching the fast paced game. "Hanamiya-san just gave an order; the coach must really trust him," Sakurai commented.

"Ah? No, no, for whatever reason, their coach retired from the team last year. Hanamiya is both the coach and captain now."

"Huh?"

The game continued with the member changes on both sides, and it was obvious from the very beginning that Seirin was not doing well. Kiyoshi observed the new player, thinking that he wasn't as strong as the previous center, when Izuki had the ball stolen twice, in such a fast pace that no one expected. Kirisaki Daiichi scored point after point, and Temari gave a friendly thumbs up towards Hiroshi when he made a shot. The strong-willed Seirin team made one shot, but that was all from the third quarter, with nearly every single one of their passes being blocked.

"Sorry, but you're not scoring again," Koujirou said to Hyuuga, "You're caught in the spider's web... Now, you'll die a painful death."

With Touou, Imayoshi explained to his team Hanamiya's genius, "We went to middle school together, and he always did well on exams without studying. After seeing a game once, Hanamiya can remember both team's play perfectly. With that, he analyzes the movements of an opposing team."

"Team movements?"

"Look at Seirin, they have a highly advanced run and gun style, relying on effective passing. But that's precisely the trap. Hanamiya can read all of his enemy's attack patterns and knows exactly when to steal. It doesn't help that they have a reliable manager this year either. He may just be sitting down, but he can still tell what's going on in the team and what to do."

"The manager?"

"He's genius."

Down below with Aida Riko, she was also saying the same thing to the benched players, "He's smart, he has sharp eyes."

"Eh? But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Temari-kun can predict what his opponents will do next, statistics or not. Unlike Momoi, who relies on both invaluable and valuable information, he just needs to use his eyes. I once thought that Kiyoshi is really sly, things just go his way even if he doesn't mean it. But his brother... He's on another level. He's manipulative, and he knows it, even playing from the sidelines."*

* * *

Kirisaki Daiichi once again held the ball, throwing it into the hoop one after another.

"Amazing..."

Furuhashi stared at the highly observant manager, recalling an incident at the start of the year.

The starters were walking around the campus of Kirisaki Daichii High School when Hiroshi yelled incredulously, "Seriously? An IQ of 160?!"

"Yeah," Kentarou replied casually, "We're different."

"What?!"

"-But, I'm nothing compared to them," He continued, pointing towards Makoto and Temari who walked in front of them, "I can't ever beat them."

The small forward thought about how they started what was now known as the Spider's Web. It was through teamwork and genius that they were able to do it, and it only got worse for the enemy the more the opposing team struggled. "They're the ideal prey," Temari sang, "Especially Shun-kun."

 _"Seto links with Hanamiya and reduces potential pass courses that Temari predicts even before the game starts. With Hanamiya alone, he can't cover all areas. But with Seto in the field and Temari's assistance, he can steal 100% of all passes."_

As the third quarter came to an end, the teams went to their respective sides, Izuki cursing with the rest of Seirin frustrated. _I didn't expect Hanamiya-kun to make so many steals. We should be able to score from the outside, though,_ Riko thought, glancing over at the Kirisaki Daiichi's bench before going back to her train of thought.

"You're doing well, but they are going to put their phantom man in again."

"Hm?"

"It's an eleven point difference, and in spite of their offense being completely down, they're going to bring in their trump card. Just keep an eye on him."

"Number 7's also being difficult, that's why we haven't made as many points as we wanted."

"Hah! There's nothing to worry about then; Kiyoshi's covered in wounds and with just one more push, it'll be goodbye."

The buzzed made the noise for the final quarter to start, and in trap that was their web, the players of Kirisaki Daiichi thought that it was no use. And truly, they were right... but as Izuki passed to Kiyoshi, Hanamiya sliding to block, Kuroko appeared right in, between, with an unpredictable pass to change the course of the phantom's own play.

 _Get closer... closer. Then they won't have any choice._

With the rough play and burning bruises, Kiyoshi was removed from the game, with Kuroko's words hitting hard. "I don't have an older brother, but when you said you would protect us, you seemed like one. It made me happy, and I want you to continue protecting us. But I don't want you to push yourself any harder in this game. I'm sure Kiyoshi-san would want that too." And with a look to the other side, he saw the younger sibling nodding towards him slightly, as if he heard the entire conversation. "Ah, you're right. The rest... is up to you."

...

"The center will be out of commission this quarter. I understand you're frustration, but it's the last quarter and there's still a four point difference. If you can't stop Number 11, then make sure the others break."

The buzzer made a noise, "Go finish them."

* * *

"...We aren't going to win."

And he was correct. Kirisaki Daiichi ended up losing, a frustrating 73-76.* After the teardrop, and another three, they couldn't make anymore comebacks within the 43 seconds.

"We're going to the Winter Cup!"

"YOSH!"

Kirisaki Daiichi's members stood, dumbfounded and disappointed. Temari stood up and walked over, passing out towels to the regulars as Hanamiya stood in front of the opposing team's captain and center.

"Kiyoshi..."

The brunette looked over to see the coach and captain with his head bowed down. "I'm sorry for everything...

As if I'd ever say something like that, you idiots!" He then yelled, seeing Kiyoshi fall for it. "You're the first to ruin my plans like that. I'll make you ever regret it. Next time, I'll crush you!"

"Hanamiya," Kiyoshi responded kindly, "That last shot you made, I thought it was amazing. Let's play again."

Temari looked on, feeling frustrated along with his captain. "Don't be ridiculous., damn it. DAMN IT!"

* * *

"You got some good hits in, though."

"I did, didn't I?"

As Kagami was out looking for Kuroko he just barely saw a teal and black basketball jacket walking pass a corner. He noticed the smaller man, Kiyoshi Temari or Teruki or whatever wearing his school uniform as he walked with the lilac haired player. Kagami jogged to catch up to them, but paused when he heard the smaller of the two speak once more, "They nearly broke, you know."

He stared after them, eyes wide with disbelief. "Is that really what you think? That's how you react to your brother getting hurt? To other's breaking?!"

The two Kirisaki Daiichi students turned around slightly, seeing their former enemy team's Ace. Kazuya was blowing his bubblegum as largely as possible while Temari had a bored look on his face.

"Is that all you care about?! Hurting others? Breaking them?!"

Temari hummed, before smiling with an unusual glint in his eyes. "In a game, no one is my brother, no one is my friend. No one but my team deserves advise, and nothing but the players' actions matter. I'm no good playing basketball, I'm probably more pathetic than Tetsuya-kun. But I have other things I can use, so why should I just stand by when I can get my team to win? And why should we win playing fairly?"

"Hah?!"

"You know, I have to give it to you, you're a pretty talented power forward. But Daiki-kun's teammates are on a whole other level. If you wanted to win against Touou Academy, you're going to have to do more than just some flashy throws.

We'll be going now, good luck~"

They turned around and walked away towards their changing room, while Kagami stared after them, before also turning, looking for his shadow.

* * *

TBC

 **Manipulative** : In Hyuuga's flashback, it's shown that Riko really did think Kiyoshi was oddly sly, because he knew how to make things go his way.

 **Score** : They actually lost 70-76, but I always thought that Kirisaki Daiichi was a lot smarter than just relying on their Web. So, the addition of my own character really gave me an excuse to display my feelings.

 **Lots of the dialogue taken from episodes 10-12**


	4. Chapter 4

Onsen episode~

The words or phrases with [*] mean that they will be explained at the end.

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **Four.**

"You're brother is seriously different from you, Kiyoshi-senpai."

The Seirin players were relaxing in a hot spring, when Kagami decided to bring his encounter with the youngest Kiyoshi up.

"Ah, Temari-chan? He's a special one," Kiyoshi said simply, merely going deeper underwater.

"But he seems to be doing well, doesn't he?" Izuki commented lightly, backing up against the boulder behind him.

"Temari... He doesn't believe in 'could's or 'would's, he knows what _will_ happen instead," The brunette spoke again, Hyuuga across from him giving a contemplative face.

"Huh? Seriously?!"

"Yes," Kuroko spoke up abruptly, "You can almost say he knows how to read the future."

"Future... A fortune... Ah! He can tell _kiri ga nai no mirai_!"*

"Shut up, Izuki!" A large wave of water splashed over the point guard's nude body.

Kuroko had become feverish then, excusing himself and Kagami for feeling dizzy, both just narrowly escaping from the fiery wrath that was Aida Riko. She barged into the male's spring, not bothering to think of the rules against gender privacy, and if she was scolded for it later on, she would defend herself by saying she had to protect her own chastity from the hormonal Seirin basketball team.

"We shouldn't have peeped like that," Hyuuga said with water covering his mouth, attempting to warm up (hide) the area that was scorching from the harsh hit. Riko really did hit hard, both with a fan and her fists.

"Of course not, what did I tell you?" Izuki replied, annoyed that he also received a slap, despite having done nothing wrong.

"You're all as lively as ever," Said a mocking voice.

"You... _Touou Academy_?!"

"Why?"

"Why not?" The smoke cleared to reveal Imayoshi Shouichi, as well as the rest of the regulars from Touou's basketball team. "And it's not just us, we actually have the little manager with us too. We _just so happened_ to have practice in the area; we _just so happened_ to relax in the hot springs, and you _just so happened_ to be here as well. Don't be so tense, we both represent to Tokyo prefecture, let's at least get along in the bath."

"Little manager? Momoi-san?"

"Not just her, we have the little Iron Heart with us too, _we get along well, after all_."

...

"Congratulations on making it into the Winter Cup, we watched your game earlier," The other black haired captain complimented.

"Thanks-" Hyuuga began, before being cut off quickly.

"That game could have ended even more dangerously, as I'm sure you know. Any team with the little manager is a dangerous opponent, although you probably already knew that."

"About that, if he really followed after you, then why isn't he inside the springs?"

"Oh, the receptionist thought he was a girl and gave him the girl's passes and clothes."*

There were guffaws and chortles from both side of the bathhouse, although Seirin's side was much louder. Hyuuga looked over to the other megane before they could talk anymore about something irrelevant, saying over the snickers, "But that's not what you came here to talk to us about. It's too much of a coincidence for us to have run into each other like this." Hyuuga narrowed his eyes. This was too suspicious to have been _just_ a coincidence, despite the Touou captain being so adamant that it was _just that._

"It's true that we came here to practice, but it's not a complete coincidence, either. We knew you were here and decided to drop in to say hi," Imayoshi handed over the Winter Cup starting match up, "The managers managed to get their hands on this. _Let's have a good game_."

* * *

On the girl's side, Riko was feeling a bit awkward, to which Momoi simply sighed in happiness. "This feels so nice, my shoulders have been feeling so stiff lately. You're so _lucky_ that you don't have the same _problem_ , Riko-san."

As Riko looked over Momoi's very... _ample_ statistics enviously, the first year spoke up once more, "You know, I was actually worried for your team."

"Huh?" The second year asked, almost surprised at the pink head's words.

"You've probably already met him, but Mari-chan is really stubborn; he's always been like that."

"Al...ways?" She was confused, didn't Temari go to Teppei's middle school? Wouldn't he not have made contact with any of the Generation of Miracles, especially after that devastating game?

"But aside from that, I have something to tell you," Momoi announced, standing up to not only show off her womanly figure but also her dominance over the other. "We'll be playing each other in the first round."

Riko looked astounded, truly shocked at the news. She couldn't comprehend the words, it wasn't fair! But Momoi only continued with a friendly yet condescending smile, "I really like Tetsu-kun, so I won't hold back this time. It's too bad you'll be done after the first game, though... _Let's have a good game_."

* * *

"Sheesh, do you want anything to drink?"

"A sports drink."

Kagami added some a 100 Yen coin into the slot and moved to select a drink when he paused, "Damn, they're all sold out. I'll go by some outside, then. You stay put."

"Thank you." Kuroko sighed, lifting his towel to watch the redhead leave. Kuroko took another deep breath in, before shutting his eyes and dropping the towel back on his face. He never was very good with standing up to heat, and never had enough stamina to stay put in that heat. What was supposed to be a relaxing day was tiring, and the game certainly didn't help.

"Tetsuya-kun," He heard from his right. He turned his head and opened his eyes slowly to see familiar gold eyes right in front of him. Kuroko quickly sat up, looking down at the crouching male next to the bench. "Kiyoshi-san," He remarked, a bit startled.

Temari rose to sit next to him, just as Aomine walked by with a grey bottle. The navy haired teen placed the bottle down in between the two of them with only a, "Here."

"Thank you... Aomine-kun," Kuroko said, genuinely grateful for the thought from his, former light.

"It's been a while, Tetsu." Aomine leaned against the wall, taking a sip of his own drink, while Kuroko looked down from his seat. The atmosphere was tense, and it took a few more beats for one to speak up again. "I saw your game; is that the new move Satsuki mentioned?"

"Yes. I developed it to use it against you."

Temari, whilst having a stoic look on his face, could only think, _Don't rub your win in my face!_

"Tch, Sorry, but that won't work. The one who's going to win-"

"-Is us."

Both Temari and Kuroko stood, surprised to see Kagami with his arm on Aomine's shoulder.

"You're going to win, huh? It's not enough, I need _more_. You're not even entertainment to us," Aomine smirked, brushing the redhead off of his person.

The redhead moved towards his shadow, while the manager stood next to the Miracle. He examined the three players with deep hazel eyes, the tension only increasing before he let out a long sigh and narrowed his eyes at the basketball prodigies. "You know... You're going to go against each other in the first round."

"What?" Both aces exclaimed. Kuroko looked surprised too, but didn't express it with anything more than the widening of his eyes.

"Oh, you didn't know? Satsuki-chan and I got the information. As unbiased as I am, I can tell who's going to move on from that list. Satsuki-chan and Imayoshi-san already know what's going to happen, though, and I promised not to say anything."

"What do you think, Kiyoshi-san?"

Temari sweat dropped, "I just said that I wouldn't say anything, Tetsuya-kun. But if I had to say something... I guess it would be, hm, undecided."

"Eh? Undecided?!" Kagami exclaimed, annoyed and frustrated with the sudden details of their next game.

"Whatever the case, please give me an exciting game, I don't like my amusement taken away from me."

* * *

Temari waited by the stairs near the rooms for visitors with his back to the wall. He was staring at his phone, reading some missed messages from friends back at school. He wore a pink sweater and white colored sleep pants with pastel teddy bears all over them, as well as fuzzy slippers. He had his hair in a ponytail and definitely did not look up to staying awake so late. He slid down the wall, crouching down on the floor and yawned. His phone read 1:23 AM, and he really didn't know how much longer he could wait.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mari-chan!"

A tick formed on his head as he turned his sleepy yet intense eyes towards his brother, and was about to retort when another yawned escaped. "You shouldn't keep the one you invited waiting, you know?"

"Sorry, sorry. I was talking to Riko-chan about what we would be doing tomorrow, and I guess we started rambling instead, you know, about the Winter Cup games and stuff-"

"You're still rambling, Nii-san."

"Ah ha ha ha, sorry."

"So why did you want to meet?" Only his eyes glanced up to look at his brother's matching, yet avoiding, eyes.

"We're going to be staying around the area for a bit longer, and I was wondering if you could tell Grandma and Grandpa that I'll be away."

"That's why you asked me to wait here so late- early?" He corrected and sighed, "Well, I guess I can do that."

"And, that's not all."

"Hm?" Temari questioned sleepily, still on the floor.

"You know who our first opponent is, right?" Teppei asked, features becoming serious.

Temari nodded, face also solemn, "I do."

The older brother scratched his head, saying, "You know more about them than we do, and since you're still here and we're training in this area-"

"No."

"Eh?"

The manager stood, brushing off the imaginary dust from his fuzzy, super soft pants. "Aren't you the one who said that you would do things alone to protect your team? Besides, I don't think they would be too comfortable with me, and I don't think Hyuuga-san likes me all too much." He grumbled out the last part, muttering about how he did nothing wrong.

"Yesterday's enemies are today's friends!"

"Well, _today_ I'm tired! It's like 2 in the morning!" He sighed, "I want to see _you_ play, I want to see _you_ win, I want to see _your basketball_."

* * *

After spending a night at the onsen, the Touou left first thing with Momoi hanging on to Temari's arm as she attempted to stay up so early in the morning. He patted her head, secretly knowing how she felt with taking care of basketball boys all year around.

As they were about to walk off to the station, he heard a soft voice calling his name. The team turned to see Kuroko with a messy bedhead and sleepy eyes.

"What you said yesterday, that you were undecided."

Temari looked over, nodding, and gesturing for him to continue.

"I want you to know, that I'm not the same as I was in Teiko. So please don't remain undecided."

His eyes widened, and eyebrows rose in an impressed and acknowledging look. He nodded deeply, "Then please give me a show worth watching. _Give me a good game_."

* * *

TBC

 **Kiri Ga Nai No Mirai** : Writing Romaji/Japanese and English together in one sentence is really confusing, so technically that doesn't make perfect sense to put 'He can tell' in, but the romaji means, "Endless Future". The joke is in the word/character 'kiri' written the same as it is in 'Kirisaki'.

 **Onsen clothes** : In hot springs, what usually happens is that they give you a set of clothes (usually blue for men, pink for women, and yellow for children) to change into so that you don't get your own clothes dirty and wet.

 **Some lines are from episode 12 of season 2.**

 **Sorry it's so dialogue heavy, this episode didn't have too much detail in it aside from game information.**

 **Regarding the relationships, this isn't heavily on romance, and more about family and friendship. If you guys want Hanamiya and Temari to get together though, maybe I'll have a hint of that and a sprinkle of fluff throughout whenever Hanamiya comes out. perhaps a special chapter too?**

 **Make sure to leave a Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Winter Cup time!

The words or phrases with [*] mean that they will be explained at the end.

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **Five.**

The Winter Cup. Until recently, the greatest of the three basketball events was the Summer Interhigh, followed by the Autumn Sports Meet. However, the scale of the Winter Cup has increased drastically in the last year. Now, its title is on par, or even greater than the Summer Tournament. It, as one basketball enthusiast likes to put it, is where top high school basketball teams come together to really annoy each other. The Kirisaki Daiichi regulars, while they did not make it to the Winter Cup, decided to go on selected days. Temari knew for sure that they would attend the first, today, and last days together, but everyday in between would be whoever wanted to attend would go. After all, they still had studying for finals and planning for winter break.* Unfortunately, one wasn't allowed to play on the team without having a certain grade, and even Hanamiya obliged to this rule when he claimed the coach's seat.

It was late into the games, actually, because they didn't attend the opening ceremony. As he walked aside the rest of the players, felt his phone buzz. He flipped it open, looking through the message, and groaned in annoyance. "Makoto senpai, I have been... summoned. Please go ahead without me." Hanamiya raised a brow but waved his hand to gesture the first year away.

"Save a seat for me, please." He dismissed him once again, and the team left their only first year to his own devices. With a deep sigh, he turned around to the door, not feeling completely ready to face all of them at once.

...

"What's this? You've got a babysitter, Tetsu?" A mocking tone.

"Mine-chin, you have Sat-chin." A lazy voice.

"Satsuki's got nothing to do with this." Suddenly defensive.

"By the way, Midorima-chii, why do you have scissors?" Curious.

"It's obviously my lucky item nanodayo." Obliviously informative.

"It's dangerous, I wish you didn't walk around with that out ssu." Incredulous.

Kuroko stood with the rest of the Generation of Miracles, with his 'babysitter' Furihata Kouki standing right behind him. Unlike the rest, who understandably had their uniforms on, Temari was dressed in his usual fluffy, warm clothes, which really didn't help the atmosphere in this solemn situation. He decided to step out from his hiding spot soon afterwards, asking, "About that, why me? Doesn't it make more sense for Satsuki-chan to be here?"

"A-re, Mari-chin is here, can you open this bag for me?"

He sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose before walking over to Murasakibara. He walked up the steps, and whilst on the short strides he noticed that even if he was 5 steps up, he still wouldn't be taller than the purple head. With a tick on his forehead, Temari pressed his thumbs and index fingers together on the bag of chips. "Here, then, and please don't evade my question." By this point, Furihata was shaking so badly, he almost directly resembled a trembling chihuahua.

"We don't know either, Temari-chii! And its been so long since I last saw you!"

"Yeah, I guess," He turned his head away from Kise swiftly, hiding behind the purple titan's large form.

"Hidoi yo, Temari-chii!" The blonde whined, attempting to glomp the manager from behind Murasakibara. This, of course, failed, and while it seemed to have lightened the atmosphere by a tiny bit, the tension was only raised when they heard a smooth voice over the chaos.

"I apologize to have kept you waiting."

"Akashi-kun."

His figure reigned over them like a true leader, in an intimidating and forceful manner. His face was hidden under the shadows of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, however, his red and gold eyes blazed through the darkness.

"Daiki, Ryouta, Shintarou, Atsushi, Tetsuya, and Temari. I'm glad to see you again. I'm deeply moved that we were able to meet like this. However, there is one person who doesn't belong," His eyes glanced at a certain brunette, "I wish to speak only with my former teammates right now. Sorry, but could you leave?" The redhead asked, not sounding sorry at all.

Temari seemed to do a 180 from his spot next to Murasakibara, about to use Akashi's saying 'former teammates' as an excuse to do as the emperor said - leave. But at that same moment, Kagami came from behind Furihata, and decided that it would be _so, very wise_ to rile Akashi up.

"Well, you're no fun. Don't exclude us."

"Kagami!"

"I'm back, we'll talk later. But first, you're Akashi, right? Nice to meet you."

 _You idiot! Why would you say that?!_

"Shintarou, may I have your scissors?" The shorter redhead questioned abruptly.

"What are you going to use them for?"

"My hair has been annoying me, I've been meaning to get it trimmed," Akashi replied whilst descending down the stairs. "First, however... You're Kagami-kun, right?"

Akashi moved swiftly with the scissors, grazing Kagami's cheek. Temari, despite having expected this, turned his head away from the scene.

"My, my, I'm surprised you managed to dodge that. In light of that display of grace, I'll forgive you this time."

"However, there will be no second chances. When I tell you to leave, leave," Akashi said, trimming his bangs, "In this world winning is everything; winners are affirmed completely, and losers are denied completely. I've never lost at anything before and I never will. Because I always win, I am always right.

"I show no mercy to those who oppose me, not even to my own parents."

Kagami looked stricken by those words, while the Generation of Miracles, Tetsuya, and Temari withheld their grimace.

"Well, then, I'm leaving. I just wanted to say hello to everyone today."

"Huh?! Don't be ridiculous, Akashi! You summoned us just for that?!"

"No, I actually wanted to confirm something, but after seeing your faces I realized there was no need, No one has forgotten our promise. That's fine with me. The next time we meet will be on the court. Although, Temari, if you would." The captain gestured with his hand lightly, back turned to everyone else. Temari had a pained expression on his face, mentally cursing at the American Japanese player.

He stepped on the steps of the staircase, and he could practically feel the stares of the others burning into his back. But he continued onward until he was out of their line of sight and jogged forwards until he was facing Akashi's back.

"You will not be playing, nor guiding." He said in a tone that was more of a statement than a question.

"You know I can't play, Seijuurou-kun, and Kirisaki Daiichi was defeated by Seirin," He responded matter of factly.

"You and I have similar skills, and yet, you waste it on players like that. I wonder why, hm?"

Temari refused to lower his eyes from Akashi's dichromatic ones but also didn't reply. There was a snarky, 'Because they don't care about winning or losing,' at the tip of his tongue, but he knew that would only serve him an ending he didn't want.

The redhead smiled maliciously, as if he knew what was going inside Temari's head, and gestured to him once more. "Come, let's go to the game."

They walked towards the gymnasium, and while Akashi started walking towards the doors to the court, Temari called out to him. "Seijuurou-kun." Akashi paused in his steps but didn't bother turning around.

"Make sure to meet Tetsuya in the finals."

* * *

It was one of the most intense games he had ever witnessed, and he really didn't know how to react, other than his brows raising higher behind his bangs, until Kagami and Aomine both entered the zone. As soon as that happened, despite having already predicted the outcome, he felt an odd surge of relief, while everyone else in the crowd seemed to become more excited. He knew who would win, despite Imayoshi's adamant claims, but the senior was smart and vigorous in his own right, so Temari couldn't be exactly sure how emotionally the game would be effected. So he could now breathe calmly without having the anxiety of having to hear the senior's voice in his head mocking him.

Hanamiya glanced at Temari from the side, knowing fully well who would win this match if it got him to react that way. He had to agree that it was strange to cheer on the team that had defeated them not too long ago, but it was also the case of the better of the two evils - although, even that wasn't completely right for them to say. After all, there was no greater evil than mind games, emotional tricks, and physical attacks from all sides at once, and there was only one team absolute in that realm.

As soon as they ended the extremely close game, finishing with 101 to 100, the team regulars left the stadium, not bothering to watch another one of Seirin's victory cries. It definitely didn't end the way he expected, but _that_ was expected, this was _Seirin_ after all. Kiyoshi's purposeful failure of rebound truly decided everything, and it probably gave everyone in the stadium the worst anxiety of their lives.

The gaze in Aomine's eyes at the end, however, was something he did not miss as he walked away from the match, proud of teams that he did not belong to.

...

"You can go ahead, my house isn't too far anyways."*

Hara immediately went over to the first year and swung his arms around his neck. "Ne, you're really attached to them, you know?"

Temari's eyes narrowed towards his senior. "My house really is near here, senpai."

"Then go on, we'll see you soon~"

He bowed and ran off towards one of the gym grounds. There, he found Aomine lying on his back, arms above his head. He was gazing up at the starless sky, as if contemplating if what had happened, really happened.

The small manager walked over with an unimpressed look. "Ehh? So this is what you've been reduced down to? A lazy little bug? A few consecutive wins makes you an arrogant bastard, but one loss belittles you enough to this?"

The power forward quickly sat up at the familiar voice, "Temari!"

He had his hands on his hips with an unwavering look. "This is what Aomine Daiki-kun became? Now I'm really glad I didn't choose Touou, I don't want to become ugly like you."

"Hah?! What did you say, you-?!"

"Dai-chan, Mari-chan, I found you!"

"Satsuki-chan, please don't call me that... It makes me sound more like a girl than I already am."

"But Mari-chan is Mari-chan after all!"

Aomine looked between the two of them, staring at their little bickering. He suddenly spoke up, interrupting their back and forth conversation, "Hey Satsuki, are you free tomorrow?"

"Hm? I guess I am, but why?" She replied, a bit dumbfounded at being interruppted.

"I... need new basketball shoes. I want to practice."

With eyes glimmering with heartfelt emotions, Momoi smiled, nodding and declaring a vigorous, "Yes!"

And while the moment was sweet, Temari couldn't help but break it by asking, "Are you sure it isn't because he wants to buy more of those rated R magazines?"

"Mari-chan!"

"Temari!"

* * *

 **Finals** : In Japan, students start school around March/April, have a short break in the summer (usually a week to two weeks), go back for fall classes and finish the year at around Christmas and New Years time. Winter break is about a month or two long, so their finals (if that district/school/class dictates it) would be in December.

 **House** : At the beginning of episode 44 (episode 19 of season 2), Seirin talks about how they want to celebrate their victory against Aomine, but eating out is expensive, and Riko's house is too far away, but Kagami invites them over to his apartment. Considering that, in Hyuuga's flashbacks, they had all walked home together, or with Riko, at some point, I think it's safe to assume that all of their houses are far away. I can also safely say that Kirisaki Daiichi, being a school of many promotions, would be near a metropolitan area. So if I place Kirisaki Daiichi near the Gym, I can also place his house near it.

 **Some lines were taken from episodes 38-43 of the second season of KnB.**

 **Please review, it will encourage me a lot!**


	6. Chapter 6

Post First Winter Cup Game!

The words or phrases with [*] mean that they will be explained at the end.

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **Six.**

After greeting the Touou team farewell, the two members from said teams trailed after Terumi like puppies. He liked to say he lived in a 3 room apartment, because that was technically what it was. Other than the doors that separated the kitchen and the one bathroom he went to (although there was 2 more), the rest of the house was a studio. Furnished with clean white and beige and clear windows, he couldn't say it wasn't an expensive house, but he didn't have anyone to brag about it to, and it was his parents' home, in the end.

What they didn't notice, however, was the Seirin basketball team right next to them, skipping over to Kagami's house. It was only when the trio reached his apartment complex, and they reached Kagami's own building, that they noticed each other.

"Seirin!"

"You!"

Seirin reacted much faster, running past the doors and into the building with the older Kiyoshi waving to them as he was pulled by the ear. The trio from Touou and Kirisaki Daiichi could only stare after them with questionable glances at each other before Temari spoke up.

"Well then, I'm going in now. I'll see you sometime soon."

"Eh? Are you going to be watching the rest of Seirin's games?" Momoi asked with eyes round and doe.

"Satsuki, you say that as if you expect them to go to the finals." Aomine said, almost chiding her.

"Well, she's not wrong, Daiki-kun. They did beat you today after all," The Kiyoshi replied mockingly with a grin.

"Teme!"

"But to answer your question, probably not. They're going to have some trouble in their next game with Nakamiya South, but they'll probably win that. And from their side, Kogoumo North will win against Nise Gakkou, and Seirin will be up against them. Kogoumo North isn't that bad, actually. So then Sei-"*

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, man, don't give it all away. Seriously, one day your predictions will be wrong," Aomine interrupted before Temari could ramble for any longer.

Temari looked up at him with wide hazel eyes, reflecting that of an innocent faun's. "Who says I make predictions? I can see the future you know."

"Hah?!"

"Besides, Satsuki-chan probably knows what's going to happen too, right?"

"I didn't want to say, but Seirin will probably go up against Yosen in the quarter finals," The only girl said, rubbing her hands together above her chest.

"See, I'm not the one who spoiled it for you, she is." Temari childishly stuck his tongue out at the tan teenager who had tick marks forming at the side of his head.

"Tch, fine then. Are you going to watch that match then?" Aomine asked the brunette, turning away to pick at his ear.

"Good question... Probably not. I have to study for exams, I'm not some sort of genius like Makoto-senpai, you know?"

Aomine raised a brow and furrowed them together in a frown. "You say that but..." He muttered under his breath, "Anyways, we'll be leaving then."

"Bye, bye, Mari-chan!"

"Un, bye bye," he said with a kind, eye closed smile. But as soon as they were far off into the distance, his smile changed into a distant frown. He turned to walk into the complex, with the tiniest hint of a nostalgia in his hazy hazel eyes.

* * *

"Na, Satsuki."

The pink haired girl looked up at her childhood friend with questioning eyes.

"We're seeing him a lot nowadays, huh?"

"Mm, but, I think it's because he trusts us again. We've been friends for so long, but we really didn't give him a chance to recover after middle school."

* * *

As predicted, Seirin won against Nakamiya South High and advanced to go up against Kogoumo North High School in the third round and won, 83-77 and 87-82, respectively. Temari really was studying when all of that was happening, either that, or sleeping or eating. With the basketball season over for Kirisaki Daiichi this year, he didn't have any games to assign, any orders to place, or anything to do with the sport. And while he missed the thrill of each game, he really couldn't help but feel that nothing beat simply sitting at a work desk and reading, and then falling asleep in that same position.

However, today was just a day after Seirin's game with Kogoumo North, and he had to go out for groceries.* He walked out of his house, with a recyclable bag and heavy clothes to protect himself from the winter chills. As he walked down the road leading to the store, he saw a familiar Giant's back, also clad in winter clothes. Temari did a complete 180 degree turn, attempting to either go back home or go the longer way down unnoticed, but neither worked out because mid turn, he heard a lazy yet deep voice call out to him. "Eh~ Is that Mari-chin?"

Stiffly, he turned back, his free hand reaching behind his head and laughing awkwardly, "Ah ha ha... Atsushi-kun, what are you doing here?"

"I'm getting some snacks before the game..."

Temari tilted his head, "But isn't your game tomorrow?"

"Is it? I don't really know..."

He sighed, and skipping over, and looked up at the baby who stood at the height of 6'10", Temari said, "Its been a while since you last came to Tokyo, right? Let's... go together."

...

"So, you're up against Tetsuya-kun next," The brunette commented.

"Mm, I know."

"Oh? Are you really Atsushi-kun?"

"Wha~t?"

"It's really unlike you to remember your opponents."

"Kuro-chin is there... And so is Kiyoshi and Kagami. I want to crush them," Murasakibara replied both apathetically and passionately.

Temari picked some leek up from the vegetables section, putting it in a plastic bag before placing it in his cart. "Hmm, well, your team's records from the Winter Cup so far are through the roof. Beating your opponents without letting them score? That's almost too frustrating to watch."

"Mari-chin, I really want to crush you right now," Murasakibara said, his enormous hand already on Temari's head, covering nearly all of his scalp.

"Atsushi-kun, stop that!"

A kind saleswoman noticed them with a small smile. "What a cute couple! Would you like some free samples?"

"Huh? I'm not-"

"Sure."

"Atsushi!"

* * *

Like he said to Aomine and Momoi, Temari didn't end up watching the Yosen versus Seirin match live. He believed Murasakibara's words when he said that he hated Kagami Taiga and Teppei-nii, and he knew that in some ways, Murasakibara had lived up to his words. He really did crush their souls in the first quarter, from what he heard, and Seirin had the slowest comeback since their match with Touou back at the Interhigh. But unlike that match, they won, and got an interview afterwards to boot.

But that wasn't even the closest match, because when he did go to the stadium the day after to watch Seirin's match with Kaijou, he almost wanted the blonde's team to win, despite having declared himself to be impartial.

However, with the close game between the two rival teams over, Temari could breathe a sigh of relief, the score 81-80 allaying his oncoming distress. _Well, then, Seijuurou-kun's done it, and now Tetsuya-kun._

He walked casually out of the stadium, hearing cries of victory. Moments later, while he was getting a drink, he saw a flash of red and then blue attempting to catch up. "Ah, Tetsuya-kun."

"Kiyoshi-san."

"You won, congratulations."

"Thank you."

"...So, where are you headed now?"

The blue haired phantom looked ahead before replying, "Kagami-kun lost something, and I was sent to follow him."

Temari smiled, "Allow me to follow you."

...

"To actually make it to Seijuurou-kun... For that, you truly have my congratulations."

"Thank you."

They reached the gym, where Midorima stood with Kagami. Temari turned to face Kuroko staring at him in the eye. "Tetsuya-kun, for the last game, I need you to promise me something."

The usually stoic phantom stared at the brunette with surprised eyes. "I... will try my best."

"I need you to win."

Kuroko looked at him with a glint in his eyes and the smallest of smiles ghosting over his visage. In a more confident voice, he replied, "I _will_ try my best."

"That's good enough for me."

...

As he left, Midorima was walking over to Takao, but stopped next to Kagami, saying, "I will tell you one thing: Akashi Seijuurou, there are two of them. You can ask Kuroko the rest."

...

"I will tell you the story if our middle school days..."

* * *

TBC

 **Kogoumo North and Nakamiya South High Schools:** They're the two schools that Seirin went up against after their match with Touou and before Yosen. Very briefly mentioned, but they're real.

 **Nise Gakkou** : It's a fake school I made up, since we don't really get the full line up or team battles of all the teams in the Winter Cup. 'Nise [no] Gakkou' literally translates to Fake School.

 **Day** : In episode 44, Hyuuga says that every game after the third is back to back, but ones before the third are at least a day apart. Since Seirin went against Kogoumo South as their third game, they had a day off.

 **Lots of dialogue taken from Episode 44 and episode 62. (19 and 12 of season 2 and 3, respectively).**

 **Oddly enough, this was almost all talking and no action! But the next chapter starts the REPLACE arc.**


End file.
